Support dogs in Singapore and learn more about the important “adopt, don’t shop” ethos at the upcoming Happy Tails book launch and auction, mama. And check out our gallery of adorable pooches!

As a major dog lover, my heartstrings were tugged when I recently read about Happy Tails, a non-profit collaboration between photographer Sandra Macheroux and Chantal Travers of Sassy Mama fave FairPrice Antique. After teaming up to photograph adopted dogs in beautiful locations around Singapore, the ladies have published a book and will be auctioning off beautiful fine art prints at their upcoming launch event on November 9. We had a chat to learn more about all the good Happy Tails is doing for dogs in Singapore, and got a sneak preview of the gorgeous photos that will be up for auction. Adopt, don’t shop, mamas!

What prompted you to start Happy Tails?We are both animal lovers and believe in “adopt, don’t shop”. There are so many dogs that need homes and we wanted to show the joys of adopting a dog, the good that can be done, and the beautiful relationships that often evolve between people and their dogs. Many homeless dogs have a special story to tell and we wanted to present them in a highly visual and very positive way.

Sandra was a vet for 20 years before she changed careers so she loves pet photography. Chantal had a very successful career in marketing and hence we felt we could be a dynamic duo for a worthy cause.

How have you chosen which dogs to photograph? Do owners come to you?Some dogs were referred to us by friends in the animal welfare and veterinary network of Singapore. Sandra also posted a shout-out on her FB page and the response was fabulous.

Did you charge owners to photograph their dogs?No. All of these photo shoots were done for free and included free high resolution jpegs as well — a small thank you for allowing us to photograph and feature their dogs. Sandra does of course do paid photo shoots for non Happy Tails dogs as well.

How many dogs have you photographed to date?We photographed 18 dogs for this initiative.

Was the plan always to publish a book, or did that come about when you saw the amazing response to your initiative?We knew right from the start that we wanted to print a book and also portraits of the dogs on canvas. Sandra feels that photography only truly comes to life when it is printed in a beautiful and high quality manner.

Can you tell us a bit more about the launch event?The launch event will be a happy and relaxed evening where likeminded people can mingle and chat. We will have complimentary drinks and nibbles available. FairPrice Antique is generously sponsoring all of this. We will have the book available for sale at $59 (with all proceeds going to support animal charities in Singapore) and we will start a silent auction of the individual canvasses. This will conclude after the 1 week exhibition of the prints at FairPrice Antique. Sandra will ( reluctantly!) give a bit of a talk. Barbara Wright, an animal behaviour specialist, will also give a short talk on tips on how to adopt a dog successfully.

Where else can we purchase the book? How much will it retail for and where will the proceeds go?After the launch event the book will be available at FairPrice Antique, at Sandra’s new gallery at 16A Haji Lane and at the Loewen by Dempsey Hill Christmas Market ( December 9-11 @ Block 71 Loewen Road). We would be delighted if other shops would think our book worthy of being sold at their premises. We may look for such options in the near future.

The book will retail at $59 and due to a very successful crowd funding initiative we are proud to say that all the money from each books sold will go straight to our cause.

We will work together with rescuers and animal welfare groups in Singapore and will select stray dogs that are in need of veterinary care. Happy Tails will then pay the vets directly.

Sandra, what’s your #1 tip for snap-happy owners trying to get their dog to cooperate for the camera?Make a game out of it and don’t expect anything. Dogs sense tension in you and if it becomes forced they will not want to cooperate. It shows in their body language and hence in the photos.

Have fun and try again on another day if it doesn’t work the first time. Oh, and go low. Lay in the grass , place the dog on a table, anything that will enable you shoot at their head level.

Sassy Mama's Senior Editor Kate hails from Boston (it’s wicked awesome), arriving in Singapore after a stint in Sydney. A lover of all things food and outdoors-related, Kate enjoys exploring Singapore on foot with her two kids and their Singapore Special, Avon Barksdale.